U.S. patent application number 11/079892 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-29 for arrangement for longitudinal adjustment of two binding jaws of a ski binding.
Invention is credited to Himmetsberger, Alois, Hoesl, Erwin, Jahnel, Gernot, Ollinger, Franz, Wuerthner, Hubert, Wurm, Christoph.
Application Number | 20050212262 11/079892 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34833596 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050212262 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hoesl, Erwin ; et
al. |
September 29, 2005 |
Arrangement for longitudinal adjustment of two binding jaws of a
ski binding
Abstract
The invention relates to an arrangement for longitudinal
adjustment of two binding jaws of a ski binding, which has base
parts (1, 2) which are guided longitudinally displaceably on guide
elements attached to the ski and to which in each case a connecting
element (9, 10, 9', 10') of strip-shaped or similar design is
connected, which connecting elements (9, 10, 9', 10') extend
parallel to one another in the direction of the other binding jaw,
a fixing device interacting with the two connecting elements (9,
10, 9', 10') being provided, on the actuation of which raised
portions (11, 12, 11', 12') provided on the connecting elements (9,
10, 9', 10') can be brought into and out of engagement with raised
portions (14, 14') provided on the fixing device by a relative
movement parallel to the upper side of the ski. In case of blocking
of the arrangement with ice or snow, perfect functioning is ensured
by virtue of the fact that the raised portions (11, 12, 11', 12',
14, 14') which can be brought into and out of engagement with one
another are oriented at least essentially vertically in relation to
the upper side of the ski.
Inventors: |
Hoesl, Erwin; (Hundsheim,
AT) ; Wurm, Christoph; (Mannswoerth, AT) ;
Jahnel, Gernot; (Katzelsdorf, AT) ; Wuerthner,
Hubert; (Hainburg, AT) ; Ollinger, Franz;
(Hundsheim, AT) ; Himmetsberger, Alois; (Vienna,
AT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FLYNN THIEL BOUTELL & TANIS, P.C.
2026 RAMBLING ROAD
KALAMAZOO
MI
49008-1631
US
|
Family ID: |
34833596 |
Appl. No.: |
11/079892 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
280/611 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63C 9/005 20130101;
A63C 9/003 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
280/611 |
International
Class: |
A63C 009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 15, 2004 |
EP |
04006055.0 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Arrangement for longitudinal adjustment of two binding jaws of a
ski binding, which has base parts (1, 2) which are guided
longitudinally displaceably on guide elements attached to the ski
and to which in each case a connecting element of strip-shaped or
similar design is connected, which connecting elements extend
parallel to one another in the direction of the other binding jaw,
a fixing device interacting with the two connecting elements being
provided, on the actuation of which raised portions provided on the
connecting elements can be brought into and out of engagement with
raised portions provided on the fixing device by a relative
movement parallel to the upper side of the ski, characterized in
that the raised portions which can be brought into and out of
engagement with one another are oriented at least essentially
vertically in relation to the upper side of the ski.
2. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connecting strips
are retained in the transverse direction of the ski and the fixing
device has two sliders which are displaceable in the transverse
direction of the ski.
3. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the two connecting
strips can be spread apart from one another in the transverse
direction of the ski and the fixing device has a locking element
which is stationary in relation to it.
4. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the engagement
position can be freed by rotation of an eccentric.
5. Arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the eccentric is
arranged and active between the two sliders.
6. Arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the eccentric is
arranged and active between the connecting elements.
7. Arrangement according to claim 2 further comprising a torsion
spring, the legs of which grip the slider or the connecting
elements.
8. Ski binding, which has an arrangement according to claim 1.
9. Ski with a ski binding according to claim 8.
Description
[0001] This application is based on European patent application
04006055.0, filed Mar. 15, 2004, which is incorporated herein in
its entirety.
[0002] The invention relates to an arrangement for longitudinal
adjustment of two binding jaws of a ski binding, which has base
parts which are guided longitudinally displaceably on guide
elements attached to the ski and to which in each case a connecting
element of strip-shaped or similar design is connected, which
connecting elements extend parallel to one another in the direction
of the other binding jaw, a fixing device interacting with the two
connecting elements being provided, on the actuation of which
raised portions provided on the connecting elements can be brought
into and out of engagement with raised portions provided on the
fixing device by a relative movement parallel to the upper side of
the ski.
[0003] Such an arrangement is known from EP-A-1 360 977. The two
connecting strips are toothed on their longitudinal edges facing
away from one another, an eccentric being arranged between the
connecting strips, which interacts with the facing edges of the
connecting strips and in a rotary position spreads these apart from
one another and in this way brings the toothings on the connecting
strips into engagement with counter-toothings of the fixing device.
In this connection, a positive coupling of the connecting strips
via a gearwheel can be provided, so that the ski binding parts can
be adjusted only synchronously.
[0004] Another design of an adjusting device with synchronous
adjustment via a gearwheel is known from DE-A-41 35 899. The
gearwheel, which is mounted rotatably in the central region between
toe-piece and heel-holder and in which toothings of the two
connecting strips engage, can be locked by means of a securing
device and consequently prevented from rotating. In another design,
the connecting strips interact with locking elements which are
guided adjustably transversely to the longitudinal axis of the
binding and can be brought into and out of engagement with the
toothings of the connecting strips and fixed in the desired
positions. In the engagement position, the locking elements are
retained by compression springs.
[0005] The object of the invention is to design an arrangement of
the type referred to in the introduction in such a way that the
relative position of the two binding jaws can be adjusted in a
simple and problem-free way. It is to be possible for the
components of the adjusting device to be accommodated in as
space-saving a manner as possible, and they are to be robust and
functionally reliable, even in case of blocking with snow and/or
ice.
[0006] According to the invention, the object set is achieved by
virtue of the fact that the raised portions which can be brought
into and out of engagement with one another are oriented at least
essentially vertically in relation to the upper side of the
ski.
[0007] A robust and functionally reliable design is thus ensured.
The vertical arrangement of the raised portions which can be
brought into and out of engagement has above all the advantage that
accumulated snow is pushed away simply out of the locking region by
the relative movement in a plane parallel to the upper side of the
ski. This is not the case in a design as known from EP-A-1 360 977.
The toothings, which extend in a plane parallel to the upper side
of the ski and can be brought into and out of engagement with one
another, cannot, during the relative movement necessary for
longitudinal displacement, push away snow which has penetrated, and
adjusting the binding in the open, as is often common practice when
hiring, can therefore be problematic. The invention also has the
advantage that the connecting strips and the fixing device of the
arrangement according to the invention can be made particularly
robust and arranged in a space-saving way.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connecting
strips are retained in the transverse direction of the ski and the
fixing device has sliders which are displaceable in the transverse
direction of the ski. In this way, the arrangement according to the
invention can be constructed in a particularly compact and
space-saving way.
[0009] In another variant, the two connecting strips can be spread
apart from one another in the transverse direction of the ski and
the fixing device has a locking element which is stationary in
relation to it.
[0010] It is advantageous if the engagement position can be freed
counter to spring force. Automatic bringing about of the engagement
of the fixing device with the connecting elements, after
longitudinal adjustment has been carried out, is thus also
supported.
[0011] In an especially simple way, the freeing of the engagement,
in order for it to be possible to perform a relative adjustment of
the spacing of the two ski binding parts, can be effected by means
of a rotatably arranged eccentric. According to embodiment, the
eccentric is then active between the two sliders or between the
connecting elements.
[0012] In an advantageous and simple way, the spring action is
possible by means of a torsion spring, the legs of which grip the
sliders or the connecting elements.
[0013] The invention also relates to a ski binding, which is
provided with an arrangement according to the invention, and to a
ski, which is provided with such a ski binding.
[0014] Further features, advantages and details of the invention
are described in greater detail with reference to a diagrammatic
drawing, which represents two illustrative embodiments and in
which
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a top view of a variant of an arrangement
designed according to the invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the arrangement without actuating
lever;
[0017] FIG. 3 shows a section along the line III-III in FIG. 2;
[0018] FIG. 4 shows a top view of important components of the
adjusting and fixing device in the locked position;
[0019] FIG. 5 shows a top view of important components of a further
variant of the invention, and
[0020] FIG. 6 shows a section along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5.
[0021] The arrangement according to the invention is intended for
adjusting and fixing the relative spacing of a ski binding (not
illustrated) having two binding jaws--a toe-piece and a
heel-holder. The toe-piece and the heel holder of the ski binding
can be of any conventional design. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a support
plate 1 for a heel-holder and a support plate 2 for a toe-piece are
indicated. On the longitudinal sides of the support plates 1, 2,
guide strips 1a, 2a bent in the direction of the upper side of the
ski approximately in a C-shape can be provided in a known way, so
that, in a known way, the support plates 1, 2 can be pushed onto
guide rails attached to the ski and can be guided slidably movably
on these. The guide rails (not illustrated) can for each support
plate 1, 2 be components made of one or more parts, so that two
guide rails extending in the longitudinal direction of the ski can
also be provided for each support plate 1, 2. The guide rails can
be fastened on the upper side of the ski by means of screws or can
already have been integrated into the ski structure or anchored in
the interior of the ski during manufacture of the ski. In this
connection, the guide rails may also be arranged in recesses or
depressions of the ski.
[0022] The important components of the adjusting device, which will
now be described in greater detail below, are covered by a cover 3
shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. For locking and unlocking the
longitudinal adjustment device, as in particular FIG. 3 shows, a
rotary lever 7 is provided, which has a central pin 7a, which forms
an axis of rotation running perpendicularly to the upper side of
the ski and is arranged rotatably in a housing 5. The housing 5 is
located in a recess of a plate 6 arranged on the upper side of the
ski and connected to the ski. FIG. 1 shows an actuating lever 4,
which can be lifted up transversely to the longitudinal direction
of the ski and is provided for rotating the rotary lever 7. The
actuating lever 4 covers a screw 16, which can be fixed in the
plate 6 in a number of positions in the longitudinal direction of
the ski, so that the entire arrangement together with the ski
binding parts can be secured in relation to the ski and, if
required, can be moved into another of the designated positions. An
eccentric 8, which is an essentially oval or elongate part, is
connected firmly to the pin 7a of the rotary lever 7. As in
particular FIG. 4 shows, the eccentric 8 extends approximately in
the longitudinal direction of the ski in the locked position of the
adjusting device.
[0023] As in particular FIGS. 3 and 4 show, the components of the
arrangement include two strip-shaped connecting elements 9, 10, one
connecting element 9 being connected to the support plate 1 of the
heel-holder and the other connecting element 10 being connected to
the support plate 2 of the toe-piece. The connection is effected by
riveting, for example. The two connecting elements 9, 10 extend
next to and parallel to one another over a major part of their
extent. The two connecting elements 9, 10 are movable and
displaceable relative to one another in the longitudinal direction
of the ski by virtue of their connection to the support plates 1, 2
but are retained transversely to the longitudinal direction of the
ski between the housing 5 and the cover 3. Each connecting element
9, 10 is provided on its upper side with a series of raised
portions 11, 12 running in the longitudinal direction of the ski,
the relative spacing of which is the same on each connecting
element 9, 10. The number of raised portions 11 on the connecting
element 9, which is connected to the support plate 1 for the
heel-holder, is greater, and their extent in the longitudinal
direction of the ski and their relative spacing are smaller than in
the case of those raised portions 12 provided on the connecting
element 10, which is connected to the support plate 1 for the
toe-piece. When the strips 9, 10 are made of sheet metal, the
raised portions 11, 12 can be produced by stamping.
[0024] Two sliders 13 are arranged and can be moved in the
transverse direction of the ski in a recess formed on the lower
side of the cover 3. The eccentric 8 is located between the two
sliders 13, so that the sliders 13 can be actuated together by it.
Each slider 13 is provided on its lower side facing the upper side
of the ski with a pair of projections 14, the relative arrangement
of which is such that the projections 14 can fit into or engage in
two interspaces between the raised portions 11, 12. A receiving
groove (not illustrated) for the round central part of a torsion
spring 15 is designed on the lower side or the inner side of the
cover 3. One leg 15a of the torsion spring 15 is with its bent end
region hooked on one slider 13, and the second leg 15a of the
torsion spring 15 is hooked on the second slider 13. The torsion
spring 15 pulls the two sliders 13 toward one another and therefore
also resists relative displacement of the two sliders 13.
[0025] The embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention
shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 functions as follows.
[0026] In the locked position shown in these figures, the eccentric
8 is located in its unactuated position, and the torsion spring 15
retains the two sliders 13 in their locked position, that is to say
the projections 14 are located in interspaces between the raised
portions 11, 12 of the connecting elements 9, 10.
[0027] If the relative spacing of the two ski binding parts is now
to be changed, the actuating lever 4 is tilted up and rotated. As a
result, the rotary lever 7 together with the eccentric 8 is
rotated, so that the eccentric 8 pushes or moves the two sliders 13
apart from one another. The projections 14 therefore come out of
engagement with the interspaces between the raised portions 11, 12.
The ski binding parts can now be displaced on the guide rails
attached to the ski. Once the desired spacing between the two ski
binding parts has been set, the arrangement is brought back into
the locked position. To this end, the rotary lever 7 is rotated
back by means of the actuating lever 4, as a result of which the
eccentric 8 returns to its starting position. The two legs 15 of
the torsion spring 15 return the two sliders 13 to their starting
position, and the projections 14 engage between raised portions 11,
12 of the connecting elements 9, 10.
[0028] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the two connecting
elements 9', 10' are fastened to the support plates (not shown
here) for the ski binding parts in such a way that they can be
moved slightly away or spread slightly apart from one another in
that region in which they extend parallel to one another. In this
embodiment as well, the two connecting elements 9', 10' extend in a
plane and parallel to the upper side of the ski (not shown), and
they are each provided with a series of raised portions 11', 12' on
their upper sides. The connecting elements 9', 10' are therefore
embodied similarly to those according to the first embodiment.
Instead of two sliders, the fixing device has a locking element
13', which is stationary in relation to the connecting elements 9',
10', can be inserted on the lower side of the cover (not shown
here) and is provided on its lower side facing the upper side of
the ski with two pairs of projections 14'. The locking element 13'
can also be a component of the cover or of the covering housing. In
any case, the arrangement in this embodiment is also such that the
projections 14' can fit into and engage in two interspaces between
the raised portions 11', 12'. In this embodiment, the two
connecting elements 9', 10' are acted on in a way not illustrated
by the two legs of a torsion spring or the like, which acts on the
connecting elements 9', 10' in the direction toward one another.
This spring can, for example, grip around the outer edges of the
connecting elements 9', 10' with its two bent leg ends. In this
embodiment, the eccentric 8' is arranged below the locking element
13' between the connecting elements 9', 10' and connected firmly to
the pin 7'a of the rotary lever 7.
[0029] The embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 functions as
follows.
[0030] In the locked position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the eccentric
8' is located in its unactuated position, and the projections 14'
of the locking element 13' are located in interspaces between the
raised portions 11', 12' of the connecting elements 9', 10'.
[0031] To change the relative spacing of the two ski binding parts,
an actuating lever, which is not shown here but can be designed and
arranged similarly to the first embodiment, is tilted up and
rotated in this embodiment as well, as a result of which the rotary
lever 7' together with the eccentric 8' is rotated, so that the
eccentric 8' spreads the two connecting elements 9', 10' apart from
one another, as a result of which the projections 14' come out of
engagement with the connecting elements 9', 10'. The two ski
binding parts can now be brought to the desired relative spacing by
displacement in their guide rails attached to the ski. The spacing
is fixed by the rotary lever 7' being rotated back, as a result of
which the eccentric 8' returns to its starting position. At the
same time, the spring (not shown) returns the two connecting
elements 9', 10' to their parallel relative position, as a result
of which the projections 14' pass between raised portions 11', 12'
of the connecting elements 9, 10'.
[0032] The invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiments
represented. Thus, the torsion spring can be replaced by one or
more other spring(s). The connecting elements can also extend above
the two sliders, in which case the raised portions would be
designed on the lower sides of the connecting elements and the
projections on the upper sides of the sliders.
* * * * *